We present a case of a young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy (DMDC) having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator for secondary prevention, who presented with electrical storm shortly after β-blocker interruption. The patient was stabilized and remained free of ventricular arrhythmias soon after reinitiating b-adrenoreceptor antagonists. The present case highlights the importance of sympathetic blockage in patients with DMDC due to existing pathophysiology of excess diastolic Ca2+ leak from sarcoplasmic reticulum as a result of ryanodine receptor dysfunction.
Keywords: cardiomyopathy; duchenne muscular dystrophy; electrical storm; implantable cardioverter defibrillator; β-blocker.
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